Allison, Benjamin

by Thomas C. Parramore, 1979

1717–63

Benjamin Allison, physician and member of Parliament, was a native of Sutton-cum-Lound, England. He was educated at East Retford Free Grammar School and trained with Joseph Bright, a surgeon of Retford. Settling in medical practice in Retford, he was elected junior bailiff of the borough in 1747. He was twice elected to one of Retford's seats in Parliament, elected alderman in 1750, and elected senior bailiff at Retford in 1751. Allison was regarded as an outstanding physician but a difficult man; he was frequently at odds with fellow officials. He resigned from Retford's municipal government in 1756 and is believed to have emigrated in that year to America. After several years in Philadelphia, Allison moved to Edenton, where a mercantile firm in which he had become a partner had large warehouses. He was appointed justice of the peace in Chowan County in 1760 but died in the fall of 1763, leaving his American property to his six children and to friends and relatives in England. His wife, the former Elizabeth Bayles of Andover, England, died at Philadelphia in 1760. His American estate remained unsettled at the opening of the Revolution, was confiscated, and in 1791, was advertised for sale at Edenton.

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